Sunday, May 04, 2008

A little late on the clock here with the DiaBride gallivanting around the NYC for the weekend, doing her best “Sex in the City” imitation, as I am left playing the role of Mr. Mom – which has left my time to reflect on the Indians to a minimum. In reality, with the way that they’re playing right now – that might not be a bad thing…

The starting pitching is great…the offense is pathetic…the bullpen is suddenly a mess again.How’s that for a succinct summary of what this homestand has looked like?

Plenty of time for analysis as the weeks goes on, but for now (as my admiration for single parents grows with each passing moment), let’s take a Lazy one:

Terry Pluto has his own take on the struggles of the man now simply known as “Travis” as “Pronk” hasn’t lived here in a while. In the same linked piece, Pluto also thinks that something will happen this week when The Ben Francisco Treat can come back to Cleveland in the middle of this week (players need to spend 10 calendar days in the minors after being optioned unless a player for the parent club goes on the DL) and that his promotion will come at the expense of Carson Kressley.I hope that Pluto has some inside information on this and isn’t just stating what’s been said in most places since the second week of the season. It’s not going to solve all the problems of this offense (and there are many), but at least it would represent the first step in acknowledging that there is a problem.

Paul Hoynes revisits the Jason Bay talk from the off-season, saying that current AL Pitcher of the Month Cliff Lee may or may not have been part of a deal that may or may not have been taking place, on his conclusion that “sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you don’t make”. His mention of Carlos Quentin as a possible return for Lee, though, has me thinking (again) how nice Quentin would look in LF as I’m sure Cliff Lee’s inclusion wasn’t the dealbreaker for the D-Backs.

Masa Kobayashi wants to be the Indians’ closer one day. After another 9th inning HR given up by Betancourt to put an already out of reach game (at 1-0) completely unattainable…how’s Tuesday sound?

On a related topic, can I get the schedule of when and where JoeBo will start making his rehab appearances to ensure that he is not healthy enough to simply re-assume the closer role? Not that I’m going to do anything rash, I’ll just find the scouts in the seats that will be the judge of Brodzoski (The Close)’s health and be a little bird, chirping on their shoulder that there’s no way that he’s healthy.

Again, much more as the week progresses (and the DiaBride returns), but for now I’m going to figure out a way for Aaron Laffey to stay on this roster after I go to the Yankees’ transaction log to see what injury has befallen one of their players today.

what's your guys feelings on the pull your lineup out of a hat routine that has been going on lately? Batting Gut and dellucci 2-3 has been laughable at best. Even though hafner/jhonny/garko are all struggling, wouldn't it help to have them all settle into some semblance of a regular lineup?

I think Wedge is pulling straws at this point because his lineup is so incredibly impotent.

I have always been a strong proponent of Mark Shapiro, but he set Wedge up for this by putting the players on the roster who just aren't that good. He didn't really make the Tribe any better in the off-season. Not that Wedge is faultless, and Derek Shelton better not get too comfy.

Shapiro screwed up by not dealing CC in the off-season. Now, we'll get to see what he can bring at the deadline when the Indians are 9 games back (which I'm sure everyone will see as well within striking distance).

The rotation continues to be this team's strength, and it was before March began, which is why CC was the team's biggest commodity. Now that Laffey and Sowers are pitching well, as is Cliff Lee, people would say we can deal them because they have value, but CC will be gone after this year and where does that leave the Indians?

I had been clamouring for a CC to the Dodgers for OF Matt Kemp and RHP Chad Billingsley. Everyone cried about needing CC to win a series. Why? Because of his great performance in big games? Truth is, Kemp is a great young OF hitting .300 in the Dodgers crowded OF and Billingsley, who has struggled this year, would have given the Tribe another young arm for years to come.

I know I'll get lambasted for even suggesting that, especially in the 20/20 hindsight mode (but I wanted to do it then). It was a reLOADING maneuver, not reBUILDING. As it is, the offense is predictably poor, and CC will be out the door.

Don't worry, a 12-run outburst is just over the horizon by the pile-on offense. Then we can all be happy that the Tribe is on the verge of busting out.

Too bad, they'll go right back to scoring less than three runs a game.

Trouble is, what should the Indians do even if they wanted to make a deal? What CAN they do? They're hamstrung at this point. Short of dealing all of their young pitching there's nothing they can do. If they deal the young arms they're guaranteed a reservation in the AL Central basement.

You're Mark Shapiro -- what do YOU do?

PS -- I am not happy, can you tell? Actually, they have been so pathetic, I hardly care anymore.

Halifax,Kemp would be a wonderful addition, but where would he play? I personally like the upside of Frankie and one would have a tough time complaining with the potential that the Michaels-Dellucci platoon offers.

Additionally, Billingsley is pitching in the NL, who knows how he would perform in the AL.

I wasn't against trading CC, in fact, after the O's landed Jones and litany of other top prospects, I wondered what Shapiro was waiting for.

However, this is simply a slow start. If the players were not having unsustainably bad starts, the club would be in first for the division. The best thing that has happened to the Tribe is that the Tigers are also having a slow start.

CKT,I agree that I'd rather see a lineup that doesn't look like a "throw it up against the wall and see what sticks" approach, which is what Wedge is doing because the WHOLE lineup is struggling. By that measure, I'm with Brandon that this is an unsustainably slow start, a fact that I should be addressing in a post today or tomorrow. There's just no way that EVERY SINGLE one of the Tribe players could hit so far off their numbers that they have an extended track record for.

The Frisco Kid IS en route, with Michaels likely on his way out, so maybe the spark that Asdrubal provided last year to wake up the bats is forthcoming. Hopefully, Francisco is going to be playing and not just sitting next to Marte.

Halifax,If you could have told me that the Dodgers would have made that deal, I would have listened, as I love Kemp...but that's really just conjecture, particularly with the deal that the Twins got for Santana. The Bedard deal was a good one for Baltimore...but that's just Seattle's lack of foresight.

Also, while I appreciate the comments and the dialogue, let's lay off the site-pimping in favor of just more discourse.

everybody sounds as if we are completely out of things. CLE is only 2.5 games behind a team whose offense is STILL markedly more impotent than the Tribe and has a staff that has not been the Indians equal. The only thing the Twins has on the CLE is a competent bullpen.

The Sox are the only team I'm really afraid of, but it may be that they were playing on a bouyant confidence high for some time and have now come back to earth some.

Does anyone really think KC will finish with 80+ wins? and the Tigers Starting Pitching is not dreadful, it is apocalyptically bad.

The division is still CLE's to lose, and the only difference this anemic Spring offensive out-put will do is decrease the number games the Tribe wins the Central by from 8+ to 8-.

Now whether or not the Indians can compete with the big boys in the other divisions and League remains to be seen. Oakland owes much of its surprising record to thumping the Tribe and the Angels and red Sox didn't seem impressed either.

Let's just see what happens in the Bronx and when the Jays and their pretty formidable SPs come to CLE.I think we can split back at NY and take 3 of 4 from Toronto.

Unless our SP suddenly implodes *knocks on every surface of wood in proximity including kerry seeing as this IS Chicago* this team will do fine. It may still drastically underachieve and still make the post-season.

Les,The Indians are, without a doubt, still right in it, but only due to the pathetic state of the central division.

If the division is "theirs to lose" I'm not sure why. How about the Twins? They're in first place.

No, the Twins don't have the horses, they won't win, and the Royals aren't ready. It's the Sox, Tigers and Tribe. All three have deficiencies. The Tigers' starting rotation is atrocious and their lineup old, and the Sox have Ozzie Guillen managing them, but they're fairly balanced. The Indians have no OFFENSE! I guess to say the Indians have an advantage at this point seems a little unfair. Sure, they should hit better, but they don't. The Tigers should pitch better, but they don't.

The Indians should win the division because they have better starting pitching, but their offense is quickly becoming a hindrance and is putting undo pressure on a great rotation and shaky bullpen.